9The kings of the earth who had intercourse with her in their wantonness will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her pyre.
10They will keep their distance for fear of the torment inflicted on her, and they will say:

“Alas, alas, great city,

Babylon, mighty city.

In one hour your judgment has come.”

11The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her, because there will be no more markets* for their cargo:
12their cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; fine linen, purple silk, and scarlet cloth; fragrant wood of every kind, all articles of ivory and all articles of the most expensive wood, bronze, iron, and marble;
13cinnamon, spice,* incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human beings.

Every captain of a ship, every traveler at sea, sailors, and seafaring merchants stood at a distance
18and cried out when they saw the smoke of her pyre, “What city could compare with the great city?”
19j They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning:

* [18:1–19:4] A stirring dirge over the fall of Babylon-Rome. The perspective is prophetic, as if the fall of Rome had already taken place. The imagery here, as elsewhere in this book, is not to be taken literally. The vindictiveness of some of the language, borrowed from the scathing Old Testament prophecies against Babylon, Tyre, and Nineveh (Is 23; 24; 27; Jer 50–51; Ez 26–27), is meant to portray symbolically the inexorable demands of God’s holiness and justice; cf. Introduction. The section concludes with a joyous canticle on the future glory of heaven.

* [18:2] Many Greek manuscripts and versions omit a cage for every unclean,beast.

* [18:3–24] Rome is condemned for her immorality, symbol of idolatry (see note on Rev 14:4), and for persecuting the church; cf. Rev 19:2.

* [18:4] Depart from her: not evacuation of the city but separation from sinners, as always in apocalyptic literature.

* [18:11] Ironically, the merchants weep not so much for Babylon-Rome, but for their lost markets; cf. Ez 27:36.

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